My blog is about security and optimization of Windows system, it will be useful to beginners who needs informations to secure & optimize their system or more advanced users who need to know more about security softwares.

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

[Guide] How to set up Shadow Defender for convenience & max protection

Hi, i read a lot of post asking how to set up Shadow Defender properly
for convenience and optimal protection. so there is my simple guide:

Prologue:

SD can be used in 2 modes:

1- On-Demand mode

In this mode you just activate the Shadow mode when you need to test
something you think may be harmful to your system , then reboot to exit
it; this mode will not reduce/hamper your daily use of your system since
all changes made (Windows Updates, bookmarks, installed softs, etc...)
outside Shadow Mode will remain.

2- Permanent Mode

This mode is active when you allow the Shadow Mode at boot, this mode is
the safest one for your system but is the one that will have many
unwanted effects, why ?

- You are always under Shadow Mode so any changes in your system will be negated at every reboot.

- Any Windows/software/antivirus Updates, created/modified/downloaded
files (as well as malwares infections ) will be negated at the next
reboot.

As you see it is the main purpose of SD, virtualizing your actions then negating them at next reboot.

You will ask me : "So what the benefit of SD if i have to redo every time the works i have done?"

I will answer by: "Then you have the exclusions and commit functions"

So now let start to configure SD for max protection but with convenience of use.

1- Mode Setting

First you have to decide which partitions/drives to protect from
changes, of course the system one must be protected but i recommend also
any other partitions/drives you may have !

Why ? because some malwares infect every files not just the system ones.

You choose your partitions there:

Then select "Enter Shadow Mode at every boot"; then you will enter rightaway in Shadow Mode and at every boot.

The desktop tip will appears to confirm that you entered in Shadow Mode (the tip can now be hided )

2- Exclusion List

The important part is here, the exclusion list

You will have to set the folders that will be ignored by SD, meaning all
changes occurring on them will be kept when you will reboot.

There is my exclusions:

So what to exclude:

- Your Antivirus updates : Generally by excluding every folders of it (ask in your product support forum to be sure),

- Your browser bookmarks
(optional) : i put it as optional because i don't like to exclude my
browsers, since internet is the best place to be infected i don't want
to open some security holes.
My workaround is to use an online bookmark synchronizer that loads my bookmarks everytime i am online (ex: Xmarks)

If you still want exclude them you must find where the bookmarks are stored. example for Firefox: "places.sqlite"

- Your downloads: It is a
nonsense to download things then negate them at the next reboot, so i
recommend you to create 2 folders (in the non-system partition), for
that: the first one , i called it "Downloads " is where all your
downloads will be saved (this one will be not excluded); its purpose is
to check that your downloaded files are safe/non-malicious (the AVs will
take care of that), you can open the files there.
The second folder will be named "Safe Downloads" , when after checking
the files in "Downloads" you are sure they are safe, move them here to
keep them. Later you will exit Shadow Mode and locate them as you wish
in a non-exclusion folder.

- Your Works: Create and
exclude a folder, put your actual working files there (documents, etc..)
until done, then as above relocate them later in the folder that will
be protected by Shadow Mode, so you will never loose them in case of
infections.

Note about Windows Update:
unfortunately , you can't exclude it , SD can't exclude the registry
base, so when an update is available , just exit Shadow Mode, install
it, return under Shadow Mode.

3- Commit Now button:

The Commit Now button allows you to exclude files/folders on the fly ,
in case you downloaded/modified a file outside the excluded folders.

You can also do it via right-clicking the file

Final Note

As you see , Shadow Defender is a powerful protection tool if used
properly, but it is not 100% bullet-proof so you have to be careful on
what you download and execute on your system.

Hope this guide helped you.

I will add more infos if needed and also about the browsers bookmarks file to exclude.